The Now Podcast

In this episode, we welcome Ed Young onto the nft now podcast! Ed Young is the CEO and founder of https://nft.hiphop/ and one of the co-founders of influential hip hop magazine, “The Source”. He recently partnered with https://near.org/ and the Universal Hip Hop Museum (UHHM) to feature 47 hip hop legend NFTs in honor of the 47th year anniversary of the hip-hop era. These 47 NFTs feature musical icons like Eazy-E to Lil Wayne.

In this episode we discuss: 

Intro (0:00)

Hip hop and NFTs (1:16)

From magazines to NFTs (2:48)

Why hip hop needs NFTs (6:06)

Bringing the power back to the creators (7:20)

The thriving middle class (8:30)

How NFT.hiphop was born (9:02)

Adding utility within hip hop NFTs (13:39)

The vision behind NFT.hiphop (15:05)

Any Shopify store can now sell NFTs (18:06)

How has the Hip hop community responded to NFTs (19:36)

Jay Z’s NFT vs 3LAU’s (24:20)

NFTs, Blockchain and the future (27:24)

Direct to consumer creativity (30:00)

Milestone towards NFT mainstream adoption (32:41)

Closing thoughts (36:49)

To learn more about how Ed Young and NFT.hiphop are bridging the gap between music artists and NFTs, go to: https://nft.hiphop/ 

Connect with Ed Young on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edyoungprofile

To sign up for the nft now newsletter where we break down the NFT market into actionable insights each week, go to: https://www.nftnow.com

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In this episode, John Crain joins the nft now podcast! John is the Co-founder and CEO of SuperRare, one of the earliest and most acclaimed crypto art NFT platforms that launched in 2018. SuperRare recently announced its 2.0 platform update, including the $RARE curation token, SuperRare Spaces, SuperRare DAO, and sovereign smart contracts initiatives. SuperRare has done over $90 million in volume since 2018 and is backed by the likes of notable entrepreneurs like Mark Cuban. The platform raised a $9M Series A investment back in March and this is only the beginning for what's to come in the metaverse. 

In this episode we discuss: 

SuperRare 2.0 (2:24)

Why Decentralization is important (03:18)

Launching $RARE token (4:17)

New SuperRare talent vs maintaining the current community (10:13)

Who should be chosen to have SR storefronts (12:49)

DAOs (14:52)

Custom Smart Contracts (18:44)

How SuperRare handled the NFT gold rush (21:33)

Blue Chip Crypto Artists / 1-of-1 drops (29:57)

How SuperRare plans on embracing the Metaverse (31:52)

SuperRare’s favorite rising artists (33:29)

The long game for SuperRare & NFTs (36:30)

To learn more about the recently launched $RARE curation token & SuperRare DAO: https://superrare.mirror.xyz/fkGKcN1xVNRvfZk5OiY52-T_WNSndC4ve1DPDmvZQ6E

Follow John Crain on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/superrarejohn?lang=en 

And on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/superrarejohn/ 

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In this episode we’re honored to have Devin Finzer, the Co-Founder & CEO of OpenSea — the largest secondary marketplace for blockchain-based digital collectibles. As of August 17th, OpenSea already had over $1 billion in NFT transactions in the first half of August alone and has become a go-to destination for NFT enthusiasts. OpenSea recently closed a $100M Series B fundraising round, which valued them at $1.5B. In this episode we dive into…

- What is OpenSea? What is the mission of OpenSea?

- Which verticals are most rife for explosive growth with NFTs after CryptoArt? 

- What have been some of the most exciting or surprising trends?

- How will the NFT market empower a shift in the creator economy?

- Similar to the crypto bull and bear markets, what’s his outlook on growth in the coming years? Does he feel it’ll have a similar cycle with NFTs?

- What does he feel are some of the key milestones in fostering mainstream adoption of NFTs?

- How does he feel the entertainment industry as a whole will adopt NFT’s in the coming years? 

- OpenSea announced cross-chain support along with the most recent round. How does he envision the future of NFTs being cross-chain (L1 chains, L2 solutions, etc)?

- How is OpenSea approaching curation and discovery to help users find NFTs they love?  

- What is most exciting about OpenSea’s roadmap?

- And much more!

To sign up for the nft now newsletter where we break down the NFT market into actionable insights each week, go to: https://www.nftnow.com

To follow Devin on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/dfinzer

To follow Devin on Instagram, go here: https://instagram.com/dfinzer

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In this episode we’re honored to welcome Noah Davis, the NFT guy at Christie’s, and more formally, the major auction house’s AVP Specialist, Head of Digital Sales, Contemporary Art. He’s a futurist and a true NFT lover at heart and has used his role and platform at Christie’s to uplift the industry as a whole. He has been at the helm of the 255-year-old institution’s most notable NFT auctions, including Beeple’s landmark $69M sale, Fewocious, CryptoPunks, Trespassing, and more.

In this episode we cover…

- How has the traditional art world reacted to NFTs disrupting the market?

- What was it like leading this charge at a legacy auction house like Christie’s? What were some of the less obvious challenges he had to overcome?

- Does he feel NFTs will drive a seismic shift in the fine art market in the coming years?

- How can blockchain bring more transparency into the traditional world and art provenance? What are some other applications that would help artists and collectors?

- What are some key milestones he foresees with regard to fostering mainstream adoption around NFTs?

- How did the Beeple drop come together at Christies and what was the fine art world’s reaction?

- And much more...

To sign up for the nft now newsletter where we break down the NFT market into actionable insights each week, go to: https://www.nftnow.co

To follow Noah on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/NonFungibleNoah

To follow Noah on Instagram, go here: https://instagram.com/noah.at.christies

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pplpleasr is an artist who first rose to prominence in the crypto space due to her viral animations for popular DeFi protocols like Aave and SushiSwap. Her breakthrough ‘x*y=k’ NFT featured an animation of a Uniswap unicorn adventuring through a symbolic DeFi landscape to the “Ethereum promised land.” The auction caused the spontaneous creation of pleasrDAO, a collective of 23 Ethereum addresses, who won the auction for 310 ETH ($525K). pplpleasr announced that she’d be donating all of the proceeds to ​​the Stand With Asians movement. Since then, pleasrDAO has become a major player in the NFT space with high-profile purchases like Edward Snowden’s first NFT ($5+ million), the original Doge photo ($4+ million), Tor Project (nearly $2 million) and more.

In this episode we dive into…

- What is a DAO? What are the pros and cons of running an organization as a DAO? How does she foresee they will impact the broader business landscape in the coming years? 

- The initial Uniswap auction that led to pleasrDAO’s creation.

- What motivated her decision to donate all of the proceeds from her landmark sale to combat AAPI discrimination?

- What is the mission of pleasrDAO?

- How does pleasrDAO function structurally? What role does she play in its decisions?

- The story behind the Snowden, Doge and Tor auctions.

- What role does she foresee DAOs playing in the NFT space going forward? 

- What inspires her most about the NFT space’s future?

- What projects does she have in the works?

- And much more!

To sign up for the nft now newsletter where we break down the NFT market into actionable insights each week, go to: https://www.nftnow.co

To follow pplpleasr on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/pplpleasr1

To follow pplpleasr on Instagram, go here: https://instagram.com/pplpleasr

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In this episode we’re excited to welcome Jasti. At only 15 years old, he’s one of crypto art’s youngest rising stars. According to cryptoart.io he’s sold more than $220,000 worth of NFT artwork and is helping lead a new generation of digitally native artists and creators into the world of NFTs. He’s collaborated with the likes of Fewocious and has plenty of projects in the works.

In this episode we cover…

- How did he get into digital art and discover NFTs at such a young age?

- How his generation views NFTs

- What’s the toughest part about being this young in the NFT space? 

- What it was like selling his genesis piece, ‘To the Moon,’ to KeyboardMonkey for 25Ξ ($42,086)

- His piece ‘Nature’s DJ’ came out during a market downtrend, and although he’s still received some solid offers, he hasn’t accepted any yet. How does he approach the market for NFTs and work to drive scarcity?

- How have NFTs changed his future plans and what’s next for Jasti?

- And much more...

To sign up for the nft now newsletter where we break down the NFT market into actionable insights each week, go to: https://www.nftnow.co

To follow Jasti on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/jastidesigns

To follow Jasti on Instagram, go here: https://instagram.com/jastidesigns

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Based in Vancouver, FVCKRENDER has emerged as one of the most successful 3D artists in the NFT space. At the time of this recording, he’s ranked #14 on CryptoArt.io with $5.8M in sales and multiple six-figure 1/1 sales, including a recent $107K sale at Sotheby’s ‘Natively Digital’ auction. He’s also collaborated with Zedd on his Nifty Gateway drop and has enthralled fans and collectors with the expansive vision behind his FVCKRENDERVERSE concept.

In this episode we talk about...

- How did he get into NFTs? How has it impacted the 3D community?

- What did his Sotheby’s auction mean for him and the NFT space?

- What are some of the biggest lessons he’s learned since entering the space?

- What it was like working with Zedd and his thoughts on the future of music NFTs?

- The importance of building and rewarding community through Discord and loyalty drops

- What it’s been like adjusting to the role of an influential collector in addition to being an artist

- The story behind his Metamask getting hacked and how this is a learning moment for the NFT community as a whole

- How he sees NFTs evolving in the future and impacting creators across other domains like music, fashion and art?

- The inspiration and ambitious goals behind the FVCKRENDERVERSE

- And much more…

To sign up for the nft now newsletter where we break down the NFT market into actionable insights each week, go to: https://www.nftnow.co

To follow FVCKRENDER on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/fvckrender

To follow FVCKRENDER on Instagram, go here: https://instagram.com/fvckrender

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In this episode we’re honored to have a top tier NFT collector and true tastemaker and community builder within the world of NFTs, Tim Kang, more commonly known as Illestrater. Beyond being one of the leading collectors in the space, he’s also the founder of the Sevens Foundation charity which aims to empower up and coming artists.

In this episode we cover…

- What is the vision behind Sevens Genesis Grants and where does he want to take it

- His collaboration with Paris Hilton and how she uplifted the community in her entrance to the NFT space

- How feels the market will continue to mature and what he sees as some of the next major milestones on his radar for the space and technology as a whole

- What NFTs are worth collecting and how he evaluates which projects to support

- His thoughts on DAOs and collector DAOs and how they’re impacting the market

To sign up for the nft now newsletter where we break down the NFT market into actionable insights each week, go to: https://www.nftnow.co

To follow Illestrater on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/illestrater_

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Justin Aversano is the Founder of SaveArtSpace is a non-profit organization that works to create an urban gallery experience, launching exhibitions that address intersectional themes and promote a message of social change. Aversano was also the photographer behind the ‘Twin Flames’ project that has moved 256 ETH ($590K) in sales volume. He recently won the community choice entry for Sotheby’s ‘Natively Digital’ auction and donated all of the $35K sale’s proceeds to the Sevens Genesis Grant charity. Additionally, he teamed up with GMoney to produce the CryptoPunks billboards that have appeared in Miami, NYC and London to date.

In this episode we cover:

- How NFTs are bringing the power back to creators and away from large corporations

- The story behind the CryptoPunk Billboards in NYC, Miami and more…

- How critical it is to foster IRL community, activations and exhibitions beyond the metaverse

- How the Sotheby’s Natively Digital collaboration came together 

- The story behind SaveArtSpace

- And much, much more…

To follow Justin on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/justinaversano

To follow Justin on Instagram, go here: https://www.instagram.com/justinaversano/

To sign up for the nft now newsletter where we break down the NFT market into actionable insights each week, go to: https://www.nftnow.co

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Olive Allen brought her art to the blockchain in 2018 and hasn’t looked back. Constantly evolving her approach and style, the New York-based artist began her career as a traditional painter but now uses digital brushes and an iPad canvas to create her distinctively sardonic output. In series like “The Sheeplezzz,” she lampoons elements of internet culture like Clubhouse and Trash Art with tongue-in-cheek flair. A firm believer that artists have a responsibility to comment on current affairs, Allen has become a key voice in the space by never shying away from sharing her opinion.

In this episode we cover…

- Olive Allen’s journey into Crypto art world dating back to 2018

- How she ventured from more traditional art & painting into the world NFTs

- What Olive enjoys most about creating art?

- Issues that exist in the world of NFTs and what we can do to address them

- Some of Olive’s favorite artists and collectors fostering inclusivity in the space

- Some upcoming initiatives that Olive’s excited about

- And much more…

To follow Olive on Twitter go here: https://twitter.com/IamOliveAllen

To follow Olive on Instagram go here: https://www.instagram.com/olive_allen/

To subscribe to our weekly nft now newsletter where we simplify the market into actionable insights, go here: https://www.nftnow.co

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